Warnings/Notes: An AU, some OCC (since it's my first time writing FMA), and implied character suicide.
"A true suicide is a paced, disciplined certainty. People pontificate, 'Suicide is selfishness.' Career churchmen like Pater go a step further and call in a cowardly assault on the living. Oafs argue this specious line for varying reason: to evade fingers of blame, to impress one's audience with one's mental fiber, to vent anger, or just because one lacks the necessary suffering to sympathize. Cowardice is nothing to do with it - suicide takes considerable courage. Japanese have the right idea. No, what's selfish is to demand another to endure an intolerable existence, just to spare families, friends, and enemies a bit of soul-searching." -David Mitchell, Cloud Atlas.
Maes Hughes was depressed. If anyone who knew Maes Hughes saw him, they wouldn't recognize him. The cheerful young man was usually joking around or showing pictures of his wife-to-be, but that was not the case this time around. In his hand was a letter addressed to a Riza Hawkeye. With his searching skills, he managed to find her in a town east. This was the last letter he had to deliver. The depression had started to sink in even more when Maes got off a train and into the town that this Riza Hawkeye lived it. Maes wanted to deliver this letter first, but he knew where Madame Christmas lived, and it was far more convenient to give it to Christmas first.
Who was Riza Hawkeye anyway? Was it one of Roy's lovers? Perhaps a relative? Who was this woman? Maes was wanting to find out, and he would know soon enough. Maes looked down onto the paper where her address was written. Unfortunately, this town's roads were very confusing, so Maes had to ask for help.
"Excuse me, but could you give me directions to this address?" Maes had approached an old man with a furry mustache that nearly covered his mouth. It could be assumed that the man was a blacksmith, due to him being in a blacksmith's attire. A large grunt came from the blacksmith. His eyes just roamed to the shop they were in front of, a flower shop, and looked back to the paper. A sudden squeal of excitement came from inside the shop.
"Oh my! There's a solider out in front of my shop. Albert, you should've said something!" Another grunt came from the man. "What address did you say you're looking for, young man?" She glanced at the paper excitedly. "Solider, why, that's little Riza Hawkeye's address." Little? Maes got the impression that she was a little girl. Why would Roy write to a child? "She's such a great customer. That dear, she buys fresh flowers to put on her father's grave every other week! What business do you have with her, solider?" Maes suddenly blinked, realizing the conversation had come back to him.
"I've come to deliver a letter to her." Maes answered with a dignified tone.
"Why, you should've said that in the first place! Just go in that road over there," The woman's index finger pointed directly to a street that was up a large hill. A sigh came out of Maes' mouth: it was going to be a long walk for him. "Eventually you'll get there!" The woman ran back skipping along to a tune. The old man just grunted again. Maes started to go up the road to Riza's house.
It wasn't until sunset when Maes approached the Hawkeye house. Sweat was all over Maes' forehead, and light pants were coming out of his mouth. Three long knocks erupted from the door. Riza hesitantly approached it, and slightly opened the door.
"What business do you have here?" Riza asked with an authoritative tone. She knew that it was a military personnel, and they weren't always to be trusted.
Roy gulped. The woman didn't sound so young. "I'm here to deliver a letter from Roy Mustang." The door immediately opened.
"Come in." Maes entered the worn down house. Riza Hawkeye was a young woman, definitely not a child. Possibly a former lover of Roy's..? Maes was too busy looking at the large bookcase of alchemy books and the few floor boards that had been broken. His eyes made his way to the woman in front of him and realized she was waiting for him to give him the letter.
"I'm sorry," Maes quickly handed her the letter. It was worn out, because of it traveling all the way to the Hawkeye house. Riza opened the letter and began reading. An abrupt gasp came after a minute of her reading.
"Thank you.. For the letter." Riza avoided Maes' eyes. "Please leave now." Something inside Maes knew that he had to leave at that moment. He instantly started running back towards the flower shop. Roy.. You could've had a future with her...
Riza Hawkeye hated people seeing her cry.